Your car is a constant fixture in your life, and it needs to be operating at its best whenever you need it. Because of this, we have once again compared new car brands in terms of reliability, and produced two award winners: Mitsubishi and Subaru.

Our recent survey results show that these two brands could not be separated from each other in terms of customer satisfaction in this area. Therefore, each brand received our Most Satisfied Customers Award – Car Reliability for 2013.

Majority of new car buyers surf the web for advice

When choosing a dependable new car, the two greatest tools in the hands of the public seem to be their friends and the internet, according to the responses to our survey.

A substantial 77% of drivers take to the internet to read reviews and ratings about their potential new car purchase; similarly there was a high percentage of respondents who seek advice from friends and family (60%). By comparison, a little more than a quarter of respondents don’t look for advice from anyone.

Assurances of quality and reliability topped Australians’ shopping lists when purchasing a new car:

Half our respondents declared their reason for buying a new car was because it was a more reliable option for them mechanically.

Two in five of surveyed motorists purchased because of their new car’s warranty,

A third purchased because it was a more fuel efficient option, and

A similar percentage stated simply, “I felt I deserved it.”

Canstar Blue commissioned Colmar Brunton to survey 7,500 Australian consumers over a number of months to measure their satisfaction across a range of motoring products and services. The outcomes reported are the results from customers within the survey group – in this case, 2,026 people – who had bought a new car from a dealership in the last three years and rated reliability.

Brands must have received at least 30 responses to be included. Results are comparative and it should be noted that brands that received three stars have still achieved a satisfaction measure of at least six out of 10.